Abbie Cuddihy suffered a deep gash to the right side of her face and a puncture wound in her arm after the dog attacked her when she was stroking it.

She was playing near her home in Lynwood Park, Limerick, last Wednesday at around 5.30pm when she went over to pet the American Akita.

But the dog turned on her.

"It was just so fast, I was just so scared when it happened," said the first class student as she recovered at home after spending two days in hospital.

"I went over to rub the dog and then he growled at me and I rubbed him again and he attacked me."

Abbie's mother Donna Cuddihy said she was at home at the time of the incident.

"She was brought over to me by a neighbour, bleeding, with a tissue on her head as I opened the door. I started screaming when I saw her".

Ms Cuddihy went on to explain that when she pulled back the tissue from her head: "I had seen it was split open and it got worse and then my mam came down the stairs and she started screaming so we got into the car to go to the hospital."

But despite her age, Abbie had to calm both women down.

"My mam and my nana were crying and I had to calm them down a bit," she said.

Ms Cuddihy added: "She is scarred for life – anything could have happened – she could have lost her eye.

"Her shoulder has bite marks and her arm is punctured. I'm so strict with her, I barely ever let her out of my sight, but as the weather was so good this week my mother kept saying you can't lock her up, let her out in the fresh air."

A garda spokesman confirmed that a file under the Control of dogs Act was being prepared for the DPP.